Growing up in the Swansea Valleys (both Upper and Lower Cwmtwrch for those asking!) I wasn't thinking what was possible. All I knew was that I loved to choreograph dance routines in my bedroom, hiding away as an introvert.

Adamiec (my surname from my polish grandfather having managed to escape the concentration camps and reach Wales) at School I was told I 'was most definitely NOT A.c.a.d.e.m.i.c' and to pursue a Creative Industry path.

To 'Make it Happen' I did all the jobs

...Worked on a market stall selling meat, as a bar maid, a restaurant manager (still can't cook!) a childminder, an entertainer, jewellery assistant, a dancing zebra, an insurance worker, a lady gaga tribute dancer, the list goes on...

From the Valleys, to Norfolk where I entertained guests to Motown hits as a Pontins Bluecoat, to living in London dancing at Pineapple Studios in my 'spare' time (where I escaped a pub in the middle of the night whilst my boss drank prosecco, a story for another time)

...I started noticing things

Paying attention to why spaces thrived as community halls were closing, why we were moving towards flexible spaces and how dance studios were outperform gyms (even before the years of strictly!)
Focusing on these 'micro' details started to pull me towards a bigger vision (in-between pulling pints and dancing to 'I need a Hero')

Hey, London can be a lonely place for a small town girl you know especially as there wasn't a Gorseinon 'Dave' in sight for any rainy nights in Soho with
....Yet 😏

A combination of watching reruns of 'Cribs' and the existentialist in me pushed me towards 'entrepreneurial ideas'. Initially this involved trying to guess lottery numbers based on past data with the bar regulars, rolling cigarettes for them for 5p each in a machine that I borrowed off my mamgu, and TV show applications in the hope of winning money (Yep, there's some cringyworthy footage of me floating around dressed as a Welsh 'little bo peep' that's bound to show its face one day.

It took an unprofessional audition leaving me in tears and missing the last train, to switch the lightbulb to start my own business and the rest is history ....well not quite

Little did I know the the set backs were only just getting started

A story of resilience for another time 😏